Geoffrey DeLeons I would have liked to have issued a "7" to The Yards, because of its credible, accessible, taut story and excellent acting and cast, but the ending was lack-luster. The movie deserved a better ending than the unconvincing testimony of Wahlberg's character (Leo Handler) at the final scene's hearing. The over-all dreariness of the colors in the movie made it appear morose, as well. Contrast the endings and overall tones of The Yards with a similar story, Marked Man: In The Yards, a savvy, tough, recently-released man is dumb enough to get suckered in to a con game, even though he should know better and "wants to be a productive member of society"? In Marked Man, an escaped individual does everything in his power to stay alive and turn the tables on those responsible for the (new) crime he is being accused of. Both hypotheses are believable, but its a bit hard to swallow: the fact that Handler gets in over his head without ever showing any suspicion of the people he's associating with or the "work" to be done.It seems that money is the only thing that really matters to him, despite what he says about personal industry. This makes the character hard to fully support. The colors that the director of The Yards chose to issue the film in are dark and dismal: There are no scenes of beauty. In Marked Man, there are many outdoor scenes, full of brightness and life. In the end of that movie, Roddy Piper's character skillfully and successfully persists in getting the goods on those responsible, clearing his name in the process. I would have liked to have seen a better ending for The Yards: Perhaps James Caan's character spilling the beans on the whole caper, just to take down his adversary, even if it means his incarceration, as well. Maybe he demands that some lenience be afforded to Handler (his nephew) as part of the deal. In any case, Handler would be going back to prison for assault and battery on a police officer, possibly conspiracy, and he only would have himself to blame. A more dynamic character for Chalize Theron would have given the story more texture and substance: Perhaps, with the help of Joaquin Phoenix's character and Handler, she steals important documents or recordings that implicate the top dogs in the flim-flam. Wahlberg's acting was a bit wooden and I'm not sure Phoenix has the chops to act alongside the great James Caan (and Ellen Burstyn). This is a good movie that would have done better with more dynamic female characters, better lighting and a novel ending.

Robert J. Maxwell There aren't many laughs in this dramatic pastiche of corrupt industries and the not-quite-innocent who is swept up in them before finally blowing the whistle.It's not ethnic, but it seems like it. There's a bit of "The Godfather," a dash of "Prince of the City", a soupçon of "On The Waterfront." There are all sorts of conflicts between men and women, family members united against the law -- or that part of it that isn't in bed with the gangsters.Interesting milieu. Mark Wahlberg as the ex con who's trying to obey the rules of his parole finds a job working for his uncle, James Caan, in the subway marshaling yard in Queens. Caan's company does repairs on broken subway cars. In order to make sure they have enough business, Caan has hired Joaquin Phoenix and a couple of bad goons to sneak into the yards at night and damage the cars. Caan's character is not unidimensional. When Wahlberg asks him for a job, he tells Caan that he'd like to work with Phoenix, a childhood friend. Caan gently tries to steer him into a more honorable, if less lucrative, path to success but Wahlberg is insistent. It's a big mistake on Wahlberg's part. There follow intrigue, brutally staged fist fights, and a couple of death, all leading to betrayal.Wahlberg doesn't have that many lines but he handles them well enough. Like the other men, he has a working-class New York accent. Lots of double negatives: "I don't know nothing." Charlize Theron, as Phoenix's doubtful girl friend, doesn't sound much like New York but she doesn't sound much like Johannesberg either. With her big eyes, upturned nose, and plump lips, she's never looked better.In many ways it's a depressing movie because although many characters commit immoral acts, all of them are given human qualities, including some that are generally considered virtues.

Desertman84 The Yards is a crime film featuring Mark Wahlberg, James Caan, Joaquin Phoenix, and Charlize Theron. In this drama, a young man joins the family business without knowing that he's entering a world of danger and deceit. It was written and directed by James Gray.Hot-headed Leo Handler has had some scrapes with the law and served time for a crime he didn't commit. Hoping to get his life back on track, he takes a job in the New York subway yards, secured by his Uncle Frank, who has a high-ranking position in the New York Transit Authority. The longer Leo works in the yards, the more he realizes that his uncle controls a corrupt underworld where graft, violent reprisals, and even death are just part of the job. Will Leo turn against his family in the name of justice, or will he keep quiet and ignore the danger and lawlessness that surround him?A very good film, and though obviously flawed, it does generate one form of elation: the feeling of seeing a young director stick to the guns of his tricky, ambitious material, and find the right people to tell his story. How it shifts toward crime drama through character rather than pure plot is hard to disclose without divesting twists. Inspired by real-life scandal, James Gray lets personal insight color Shakespearean shenanigans of privilege, panic and power. Overall, it is a sensitive, intelligent and ambitious variation on the traditional going-straight story; its ambiguity that makes the film interesting and a richly textured crime thriller with an authentic feel.

Russ-79 Speaking to the blu-ray transfer of this movie, this is one of the sorriest transfers I've seen. Echo Bridge Entertainment took the wide format of this movie and chopped 30% of it off entirely. I wonder why Miramax would allow them to butcher the movie like this. It's a disgrace. The movie was shot in 2.39:1 ratio but you won't see that much of the film since Echo Bridge Entertainment decided you don't need to see the entire film. They issued it in 1.78:1 ratio which is like redirecting the movie. Cheesy distribution companies like Echo Bride should be run out of the movie business entirely rather than be allowed to destroy an otherwise good film from a good cast. Read the review here by Blu-ray.com and see how the film was butchered by Echo Bridge. I say don't buy this one. Maybe it will be re-released by some other company in the future, someone who holds film more sacred. Unfortunately Echo Bridge is not such a company.